It's a Wrap!

Do you ever find photos on your camera that you know you didn't put there?

Here is a lovely flower, puff Miffy-type bunny. I blame Junior Masterchef for this need to 'plate up' and photograph foliage food on a frequent basis.

Some photos are absolute corkers...and I know who you are by the shirt...
or those distinguishing toes. The colour of the old step and shapes in the mat are actually quite lovely in this and, yes, we know they need replacing.
Often, it is simply a recording of something they know has a short shelf life. Reminds me I must do a post on orange as next colour of the day.
Play dough art is a frequent photo flier as it dries up if not reschlumped by the mother into its jar.
Scary self portraits in a series often appear. There were about ten of these in various stages of I've-just-seen-a-zombie terror.
Less ravishing ones appear like the mother's knee cleaning up bored games...
...or shots of pages read in the dentist's waiting room.
That one did give me a little surprise!

Golden Days

Doe anyone else remember those golden family days you used to have as children-

when you met with sixteen or so cousins in a wild place and strode out into long grass and bush with only your buddies and big sticks to depend on,when a birthday cake was something your mum threw together in crazy, late haste and it was the best cake any of you had ever seen or tasted,
when toddlers ran around eating whatever was given to them,

while everyone watched out for the hungry kookaburras and magpies,
and learnt new games with each other like hockey and soccer and let the little kids play too because in these big family games there were never many rules,
and granddads watched on like wily old cattle dogs, mustering any strays that wondered off on the periphery,
and boys talked about footy heroes and skeletons and mum's camera coming toward them,
when Grandad's soothed tired ones into calm slumbers on their comfortable chests,
when the best aunties were whacky and kind and showed you how to play boulle and told you how cool your dance moves were
and it would all end up at one of the families' houses for a swim and cauldrons of spaghetti and ice cream and sleep overs and dress ups...
and you checked for ticks next day because you were just too tired? I do.

Cooking S.N.A.G.s

Now I know it's summering up because the light comes through the kitchen window just so in summer.
It gives the eggs the most wonderful glow and texture.
Sometimes they are almost transparent and the ginger boo ladies are producing lots.
We made a batch of double flavour swirly biscuits to celebrate.
Check out the dextrous hand action here by a S.N.A.G. in training. Apparently the large rubber band is the latest thing and also handy for quick crossbow repairs.
It's not all about footy and bone collecting and weapon modification, you know.
If you do it right you get this very cute little swirl.
It stays there after it's cooked. Smells so good!
Another S.N.A.G. in training waiting for the bowl. Cupcakes are more his style.

Enough frippery. Back to boys world!
Easy Biscuit Recipe from some magazine in a holiday house:

125g soft butter

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 glowy egg

1/3 cup coconut

1 1/2 cups SR flour

1 tbsp cocoa powder for 1/2 the mix

2 tbsps hundreds and thousands for the other

Cream butter and sugar, add egg, add rest. Divide and make two colours. Cook at 180C for 15 minutes then inhale and eat.

Let me know if yours like it. I have to double it because they eat the dough.

Lemony Snippets

* Warning! It's a long one.

A few of us got up early today for a small entrepreneurial project undertaken by Lala and her friend. Everybody pitched in to set up in front of a kindly neighbour's house.

There were big fella's. "I dub thee Sir Lemonlot. Arise!"

Positions were assumed in preparation for a stampede of lemonade quaffing locals. Hello...?

Waiting for the first 50c involved some quality control.

Just when we thought they'd be lucky to split 25c for the day, a couple of groovy young lads turned up and even gave them tips! Then another car! Hurry girls! It's rush hour!

Between customers there was discussion of product placement and yoga moves.

Suddenly it was the hoi polloi of Brisbania rolling up in character cars on their Sunday drives. If the girls didn't make a dime it was worth it to see the smiles and waves and beeps from the passers by. The lairy godmother was on stand-by for PR and damage control.

We are obliged not to discuss the following customer's identity lest it reveal her whereabouts. I can, however, share with local readers that she had a lovely russet tone to her coif and was going to an Abbot and Costello carnival.

A vinaigrette of children in various stages of losing interest.

"Don't worry. I believe I have nailed the necessary sales technique demonstrated previously. Watch me work the tutu."

Yellow sunglasses- so lemony, so chic. I tell you, these befit so many occasions.

After the last lemons were squeezed and the tablecloth rolled up, look what followed us home. "Hello, I love you. Won't you tell me my name."

She promptly made herself at home in a freshly built garden. (Sometimes when we come home things like this have just mysteriously appeared.) She hung around the big fella and I think he was almost coming around to Dog Boy Fishy's pleas of "Can we keep her, please,"......

...when this happened! Barking, squawking, big fella yelling and a man outside whistling for his lost dog. Serena and Venus seem to be from some athletic Masai chicken origin and ALWAYS jump the net. Those are some drumsticks you have there ladies. The one who wrangled the dog is fine but wishes to publicly apologise for her foolishness and hopes she will be less inclined to fly the coop next time.
Then the prodigal 12 year olds returned having apparently missed the only excitement ever to have happened here in their entire lives whilst they were away on a double sleepover. It's no fatted calf boys but it's your favourite.

Spag bog and Lairy Lemonade recipes to follow if you are so inclined. Masterchef we aint!

A Quiet Day In

Tired of sticking her stubby index finger through a doily hole for the amusement of her simple mother...

...the divine Miss M. observes avian activity below in the garden. On being dragged down into the sunshine, simple mother is overcome with an urge to remove almost all last year's herbs and feed them to the ladies in red. (Their foolish companions are over the fence again so they miss out.)

Here it lies in its glory, chockers with chook poo and straw and big fat worms. The Magpie of Good Gardening concentrates on making the soil fully fecund. (I love that word, 'fecund', particularly when uttered by Stephen Fry in Cold Comfort Farm.)

Lala is delighted to fill her tee shirt hem with cherry tomatoes and to use a thing called a 'hose' to do a thing called 'watering'. These are children of the drought remember.

Watch where you point that thing, you minx!

We will keep you posted with what manages to grow amidst the chickens, the bush turkeys and the possums.

Today Shorty also took delight in emptying a bag of clothes destined for Ron and Brian's boutique de bric a brac. There goes the op shop karma for the week. They are worn despite being four sizes too big. Little sisters want to look like big sisters it seems, even down to scraping those few scant hairs into pigtails. That spot at the back of the neck is inexorably linked to me having all these babies. It is one of my favourite nuzzling bits.

Always travel with one's hygiene and sporting needs addressed....

...despite the fact you will be asleep before we get out of the driveway!